Hi, guys! I've had a sudden itch to write the past few days. And a sudden fixation on Merlin again. God, I miss them all so much. This plot bunny wouldn't get out of my head. I also got a spot of inspiration from ABC's show "Forever" and "Til Kingdom Come" from Coldplay. May or may not expand on this. I haven't decided. Enjoy!

Something Lost, Something Found

When Gwaine had jumped in his seat on a random Saturday night at Arthur's flat yelling "I found him!", the young man wasn't sure what to expect. Guinevere had said he'd wanted to travel the world. Leon had mentioned that he'd taken after Gaius and gone into the medical field after everything. Percival had mentioned his love of the arts.

Arthur just wanted Merlin to be okay.

Alive. Healthy. Okay.

Preferably close by so he could strangle the idiot.

"He's a professor," the former knight said with awe.

"A what."

"A professor. It's someone who teaches—"

"Gwa—I know what a professor is," Arthur snapped, throwing a couch pillow at him. Genuine frustration coursed through him. "But Merlin can't be a professor. There's no way he's teaching."

Gwen ignored them and rounded the couch to stand behind their friend as he looked at his phone. Her tight curls were pulled back into a scrunchie, the light from the lamp warming her dark skin. It had been weeks since they'd gotten their memories back, and Arthur didn't think he'd ever tire of the sight of her.

She read over Gwaine's shoulder. "Professor Merlin Emrys."

And if that didn't make Arthur's heart lodge itself in his throat, the next part did.

"Arthur, he has a doctorate in Ancient Languages, specifically Latin, and Old English and Arthurian Legend. There's no picture, but there's no way this isn't him, right?"

The former king just barely heard her over the roar of his own pulse in his ears. Warm tears—hope—pressed against the backs of his eyes. After weeks of searching, of hoping, of waiting... Could it really be him?

"Where is he?"

"University of London."

He'd been right under their noses.

Arthur was going to kill him for sure.

"Is there any contact information?" Elyan pressed. He rose to stand next to his sister.

"None."

Leon sighed, closing his eyes. "University Office hours?"

The former knight scrolled through his phone again. "Closed. They open at eight a.m. on Monday."

Percival, sitting in an easy chair next to him, groaned and flung his head back against the cushion.

Just a day. Two sleeps. Arthur could wait that long. There's no way that wasn't him.

But a little part of his brain warned him that they were wrong. That if it were Merlin, he would have come for them a long time ago. He'd been the one to stay, after all. Gwen had said his whole purpose was waiting for Arthur.

So why...?

Those doubts and fears threatened to overwhelm him, and before anyone could mention the crestfallen look he no doubt had plastered on his face, he excused himself to go to bed. He felt their soft eyes following his every step before he disappeared into his bedroom, shutting the door and collapsing on his bed.

Another part was terrified that it was him. The last time he'd seen his friend had been moments before his death. Merlin's desperate and agonized eyes would be forever etched into his memory. Arthur had thanked him.

And then he'd died in his arms.

Arthur's heart ached every time he thought about it. It felt like there was a huge haping maw in his chest that could never be filled until he saw Merlin's warm blue eyes again. Saw that sapping smile.

And, again, there was the question of "why wasn't he with them now?"

Their group had been drawn together again by fate or destiny or some other such nonsense. So where was Merlin? Why hadn't he been drawn back into their lives?

He'd been so close this whole time.

He didn't get much sleep that night. He didn't have work on Sunday, which almost made things worse because he had nothing to focus on. So he made Guinevere walk the campus of the University with him, praying they'd see him. They didn't, of course.

He didn't sleep Sunday night either.

Gwen was the one who called the University Monday morning. As soon as her phone showed it was eight, she was dialing. And bless her, she put it on speaker. Arthur held her free hand in his, doing everything in his power not to pull away and start pacing the length of their apartment.

"University of London Help Desk. How can I help you?"

"Yes, hello. I was hoping to get some contact information for Professor Merlin Emrys."

"I can transfer you to his voicemail. He's not in right now, and we aren't able to give out personal information."

Arthur bit his lip and let his head fall, running a hand down his face.

"Do you know when he'll be in?"

"Let me look... He's teaching Latin from one p.m. to six p.m. today in Lecture Hall C."

Arthur thought he might get whiplash with how quickly his head shot up. A huge grin split his face and then he did pull away from Gwen, jumping in the air and pumping his fist as quietly as he could with her still on the phone.

"Are you a student of his?"

"Old friend," she smiled. "A very old friend. Um, I'm really sorry, could you possibly tell me what he looks like? Does he have pitch black hair and very blue eyes? Tall?"

"Um, yes? You said you were a friend?"

"Very old friend. Thank you so much for your help."

She hung up the phone and squealed, hopping in place. Her dark eyes were filled with unbridled, infectious glee, and Arthur found all of his worries and questions squashed at the joy he felt. It was him! They could go see him!

"Okay!" he cried. He looked up at the ceiling, eyes glazed, and took a deep breath. He squared his shoulders, trying to calm himself down, but there was no dampening the grin on his face. "Okay."

"We should wait til after he's done," Guinevere said, tears bubbling in her eyes. "We'll wait til he's done teaching, and then we'll go talk to him."

Arthur nodded enthusiastically. He whipped out his phone to send a group text to the others, telling them all where and when to meet. He got dressed and went to work. Leon and Percival were at their desks, working their cases with the utmost professionalism. Elyan was questioning a suspect. Gwaine was just absolutely buzzing with nervous energy, which didn't help Arthur's nerves.

They bantered to pass the time.

They talked about their cases, the leads they were following, and anything else that didn't involve how they were essentially ambushing their friend at his place of work in a few hours.

They'd all already talked about the past. Shortly after they'd all gotten their memories back, they'd each talked about how they'd died and what their lives were like after they lost each other. Gwen had lived the longest between them all, but she'd still died far too young.

And Merlin had never died.

Only Leon, Percival, and Guinevere had lived long enough to find out about their immortal friend. What the name Emrys really meant. What his burden entailed.

Arthur shed more than a few tears that night in front of his friends. But it was okay because everyone else's eyes were moist too.

He needed to see Merlin again.

The detective waited as long as he possibly could before he grabbed his jacket and all but ran to the parking garage. He didn't need to wait for anyone to follow him. They were all at his heels already. Gwaine and Arthur drove together. Leon, Percival, and Elyan piled into another vehicle. Gwen was meeting them there.

The drive was almost painfully slow. They seemed to hit every red light and get stuck in every line of traffic, and Arthur seriously considered jumping out and running the rest of the way. But traffic moved and Gwaine parked at the nearest spot possible.

Arthur could feel his heart pounding in his chest as they found the entrance to Lecture Hall C. Guinevere was standing outside the entrance, fists shoved into her jacket against the strong wind of late autumn.

She gave him a quick peck on his lips. "Ready?"

"No."

Gwaine flung the door open anyway. "Let's go, princess."

The former king groaned and let his friend lead the way down the halls until they reached the lecture hall proper. Two double doors with glass windows guarded the room, and Arthur held his breath as he looked inside. He felt Guinevere's hand slide into his and knew she was seeing the same thing.

It was a typical lecture hall: auditorium-style seating with elevated rows that rose from the speaker's platform at the bottom. Students filled the room, laptops and textbooks out. There were some phrases in Latin on a projection screen. And there...

Arthur couldn't breathe at all anymore.

He looked different in modern clothing. Of course he would. Dark trousers and a formal long-sleeved black sweater. He had the collar of a dark blue button-up pulled out. So reminiscent of a neckerchief he wouldn't be caught without.

His smile was the same.

Arthur couldn't hear what was happening, but it looked like Merlin was laughing at something one of his students said. He still looked so young, despite the smattering of stubble on his face.

God, Arthur loved that smile.

Overhead, a bell rang. He watched silently as students grabbed their things and made for the door. Before they could exit, Arthur and his friends silently slipped into the back row of the hall, and Merlin's voice...

His friend's voice rang out with striking clarity in the empty lecture hall. It was still rich, deep, and calming. Everything that had brought Arthur comfort countless times through their lives in Camelot.

"—see you all next week. Remember, pages 365 through 370. Adam, I want those translations spelled correctly this time," he chided gently. "And, please, don't use slang."

A young man in the second row groaned dramatically. "Yes, sir."

"Good," Merlin chuckled. "Now get out of here. Go..."

He trailed off as he saw the group gathered at the top. His smile faded and his brow pinched. His student didn't seem to notice as he gathered his things and left. All that was left was them.

"Can I help you?"

Arthur's stomach dropped even as his feet slowly carried him down the row towards his friend. As the group followed him, he saw the professor take a step back.

"Merlin?"

There was something carefully guarded deep in his eyes. There was a wariness that warned Arthur not to come closer. He'd backed himself up to his large wooden desk with a frown, fingers folded against its edge

"Who are you?" he asked.

Gwaine's voice came from behind him. "You don't recognize us?"

The professor opened his mouth to respond but then closed it, clenching his eyes shut. He swayed, leaning into his arm and letting out a groan. It took everything in Arthur not to rush forward and grab ahold of his friend. But he didn't think that would be welcome.

Merlin's voice was thin and weak. "I... I'm not..."

When he doubled over with his head in his hands, Guinevere bolted forward, putting her hands on his shoulder and back.

"Merlin!"

Everything in his chest hurt as he watched Merlin cringe with pain. His breathing was coming out in gasps, and it took several more moments for his friend to be calm enough to look up at Guinevere. His striking blue eyes were glazed with tears, reflecting confusion and longing as he stared intently at her. Arthur found himself holding his breath again.

Gwen brought her hand up to cup his cheek, stroking it with her thumb. "Merlin... My clever warlock..." Then she leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss against his cheek, a soft, warm smile on her face.

The professor let out a muffled sob, placing a trembling hand over hers. "Gwen...?"

His eyes flashed with gold.

Then Merlin screamed. He shoved his hands in his hair and folded in on himself. Arthur ran forward to help, but he quickly found himself being bowled over. A man with short brown curls shoved his way between Guinevere and Merlin, ripping the warlock away out of her grasp. The man didn't look much older than them.

"What are you doing?"

With a rush of panic, Arthur grabbed Gwen's arms and pulled her away from the stranger. The man had his hands on Merlin's shoulders, leaning over him protectively. The warlock's hands were still threaded in his hair, pulling at his roots. Tears streamed down his face as he hyperventilated, letting out another sob. His eyes were glowing a constant gold now. The former king would be lying if he said he didn't feel some jealousy that this stranger was where he wanted to be: helping his friend, who was in agony.

"Merlin, it's okay. It's me. I'm here." The stranger whipped back towards them, anger in his eyes. "What did you do?" he yelled.

"No-nothing," Arthur tried, trying to quell his racing heart. "Nothing, I swear!"

Merlin slumped, the tension draining from his face. His arm fell from his head and landed on the stranger's forearm. "I—I'm okay," he gasped between breaths. "—'s okay, Cal."

"Listen, just breathe." Thomas ran his hand up and down Merlin's back, keeping a comforting contact. "Deep breaths."

Arthur watched with his heart in his throat as the professor calmed. He watched as the warlock's eyes rose and met Cal's', joy shining in his tears.

"The fog is gone," he whispered, clutching his friend's arms suddenly. "I remember."

And then he watched as that joy turned to apprehension and worry and hope. Merlin's warm eyes slowly flickered over to his. Glazed blue met glazed blue, and finally—finally—there was recognition. Cal helped the professor to his feet as he stared at the once king.

"Arthur?"

His breath hitched. "Yeah."

And then, just like he'd imagined it a thousand times over, his best friend rushed him, throwing his arms around his neck and pulling him close. Arthur didn't waste a microsecond and immediately squeezed him back, threading one hand into his dark hair. The detective pressed his face into Merlin's shoulder and felt his own tears falling from his eyes. He still smelled like herbs and amber and Arthur drank in his scent.

"Oh my god, Arthur," he wept.

"It's okay. I'm here, Merlin. I'm here."

The warlock squeezed him and Arthur felt a sob rising in his chest. Everything would be okay now. Everything would be alright. He had his Merlin back.

Too soon, Merlin pulled away and moved to Guinevere, pulling her close and whimpering with a massive smile on his face. Tears fell from her eyes as she rubbed his back soothingly. She giggled as he pulled back and placed a kiss on her forehead. He moved to Gwaine, who kissed his forehead. Merlin laughed and pulled him close. Leon was next. Then Percival. Then Elyan.

Then he was back in Arthur's arms, quiet tears falling from his lashes. The former king ran his hands through his friend's hair repeatedly, whispering calming words into his ear. Something deep in his own chest was soothed and healed as Merlin clung to him. He could feel his friend's steady heartbeat against his own, beating in time with his. His other half.

"Merlin?"

The detective's eyes were drawn to the other person in the room. Cal looked at them with clear confusion on his face, moss-green eyes flickering over all of them. Merlin sighed happily into the detective's neck before pulling back and scrubbing his face. He kept one hand on Arthur's shoulder and stretched out the other towards his friend. Cal took a few hesitant steps forward, and the warlock clapped his shoulder.

"Callum," Merlin sniffed. "I want you to meet my best friends. This is Arthur." He pulled his hand from the detective's shoulder and gestured to everyone else. "This is Gwen, Gwaine, Elyan, Percival, and Leon."

Cal hummed nervously and nodded to each of them. "Hello."

Merlin beamed and gave him a good-natured shake on his shoulder. "Everyone, this is my son."

"Huh?"

"I'm adopted," he said, raising his eyebrow. He offered Arthur his hand. "But yes."

Arthur smiled and shook it. "Nice to meet you, Callum."

As the man met everyone else, Arthur sidled up to the warlock and bumped his shoulder with his own. Merlin's eyes were big and warm and watery, and the dopey grin on his face made Arthur want to cry.

"You didn't remember?"

The warlock shrugged, his lip pulling to the side. "I... sort of? I remembered everything, but the people—you guys—were always fuzzy. Cloudy. Like my magic had locked the memories behind a door." He gazed at him with the warmest brotherly love Arthur had ever seen. "Until now."

Arthur wrapped his arm around his friend's shoulders, pulling him close and laughing. Yes. Everything would be okay now.